Best Stamina Workouts for Baseball Players
Baseball is a time-honored sport, but it requires a lot of hard work. You need stamina, you need skill, and you need the right equipment and exercises to get you to where you want to be. When it comes to the right equipment, Southside Fitness offers some helpful fitness tools. Whether you're just starting out in baseball or you've been doing it for some time, there are a few exercises that you should keep in mind to build strength and stamina.
Stair Steppers or Ladders
Climber equipment like stair steppers or ladders is incredible for your cardiovascular health. Not only is it great for your health, but it's relatively easy to learn if you're just starting out. It's also ideal if you want to quickly burn off some calories or if you're working towards improving your balance. Between improved cardiovascular health, strengthening your muscles, and improving your core muscles, stair steppers and ladders should be at the top of your list for useful equipment to boost stamina.
Drop Lunges
Drop Lunges not only build strength for your entire lower body, but it does some serious work to your legs and glutes. For a drop lunge, you simply step across your body at a 45-degree angle and go down until your back knee touches the floor. It will look as if your legs are crossed as you go down, then you repeat it until the desired length. Drop lunges are wonderful for the mobility and stability of your hips and glutes alike.
Burpees
Burpees are another workout that focuses on strengthening your heart and muscles, along with added benefits like improving brain function and lowering blood pressure. Burpees have so many different benefits that are overall necessary for fully improving your stamina. All of these benefits contribute to an excellent cardiovascular fitness routine. For a basic burpee, get into a squat position and place your hands on the floor as if you were doing a plank. Jump from the plank position back into the squat position and continue to go back and forth.
Internal and External Rotations
Especially great for pitchers, internal and external rotations are vital for your shoulders and limbs to stay balanced and stable. Get a resistance band and attach it to a sturdy object. You can also connect it to a machine at the gym if you have one that you prefer. Grasp the band and pull it towards the center of your body while keeping your elbows at your side. Then you switch. Do this internally and externally to increase shoulder mobility and to help your rotator cuff. This is great for pitchers to help their shoulders and balance when they pitch. Another great equipment tool for pitchers to practice with is a Designated Hitter Bullpen Dummy.
Running, Biking, Dancing
After you have these specific exercises, you can also never go wrong with adding a little running, biking, or dancing into your exercise routine. All of these specific workouts or hobbies are exercises that could vastly strengthen your cardiovascular health, thus improving your overall stamina. Running builds strong bones and strengthens your muscles, biking stimulates your heart and your lung circulation, and dancing is not only a fun way to improve your cardiovascular health but also is excellent for motor functionality and muscle endurance.
As for running, you can either buy a treadmill, or you can run a few miles outside. Then, have frequent dance parties or take a dancing class to get some of your dancing in.
Don't Forget to Stretch & Include Rest Time
When all is said and done, and you have your favorite exercises and tools to increase your stamina, you'll wonder why you haven't learned all of this sooner, including the right exercises and the right equipment. From using fitness tools like stair ladders and treadmills to stationary bikes and hitting dummies, then you'll quickly strengthen your muscles, heart, and lungs.
Don't forget, however, to stretch and include rest time in between exercises. You don't want to pull any muscles, and you don't want to quickly weaken your muscles by overexerting them. You need to give them rest to heal. When they heal quickly, then you're able to continue to build and strengthen them. Make sure that you set aside time before and after to stretch properly, with frequent snippet breaks of around 30 seconds in between each workout.
Get your game on, get your fitness in, and frequently exercise to improve your overall stamina. You will thank yourself later for all of the time and effort you put into being better at your sport. In need of more exercise? Check these out!